Living a healthy life

Repeat after me: Saturated fats are good.

2007-02-12T16:25:00.000-08:00

It is really tiresome how mainstream media does not get the fats right. In the February 2007 Readers Digest, there is an article about 10 steps for a healthy heart. No. 7 is Eat no more than 20 grams of saturated fat a day and as little trans fat as possible. They have the trans fat correct, but then they say "trans fats .... are probably at least as bad as saturated fats and maybe a little worse." No, trans fats are a lot worse, they are synthetic, almost the same as plastic. Saturated fats are natural. Humans have been eating them for millions of years.

You can read up on fats at the Wise Traditions website. It bugs me no end that the grocery store sells lard, but it is hydrogenated, turned into trans fat, so they don't have to keep it refrigerated. They could just sell it with the meat in the meat cooler like they used to. And yes most of your baked goods have partially hydrogenated oil so they have better shelf life. They had to do this because coconut oil was demonized as a dreaded saturated tropical oil, when really it is one of the most stable and healthful oils, great for baking and popcorn making.

For a while there 15--20 years ago, I used margarine for cooking, baking, everything, because it was so cheap--4 lbs. for a dollar the cheapest brand. Hopefully, I wasn't too damaged by that ignorance.

Cranberry juice again

2007-02-07T19:16:00.000-08:00

I need to read my own posts. I got another intestinal bug a few weeks ago, and I forgot what I learned and posted about cranberry juice. I did remember and take some cranberry pills after a couple of days, and then I was back to normal. So I don't know now if it was because of the cranberry, or I was just getting all better by then.

Plantar fasciitis

2007-01-30T15:56:00.000-08:00

Last summer I got a bad case of plantar fasciitis in my right foot. Just now I'm about over it, but because I couldn't get my normal exercise I gained weight--about 20 lbs., a real bummer. No, I didn't go to see a doctor. It is easy to diagnose, a big pain upon taking the first steps in the morning right in front of the heel part of the foot. I think I got it from digging in the garden having boots on that did not support the foot.

I gave it as much rest as I could. Not easy as I take care of a 2 and 4 year old 24/7. But I think what helped the most was these clogs. I've had these for a long time, don't even remember where I got them, nearly threw them out a couple of times. But they are the best for plantar fasciitis, flat support, the sole is not real hard but not cushiony either. Trouble is it's hard to walk in clogs all the time I got blisters from them. My other foot started hurting from taking up the slack. I was a mess there for awhile. Now it hurts sometimes when I sit for a long time, or overdo the walking. I'm not sure when I will be completely back up to speed.

I didn't take any pain relievers, because that's when you really damage your foot. The pain is telling you to rest your foot and if you ignore that, you can get permanent damage, my theory anyway.

There are plenty of sites the talk about plantar fasciitis, but there are a lot of people out there who don't get relief. It would be really bad to have it in both feet. This is a comprehensive site that has about everything there is to know plus a message board. And here is a protocol for using vitamins and minerals. I do try to get a lot of Vitamin C and I got PABA to add to my B vitamins that I take every few days, but I wouldn't use such high dosages without being able to have tests or something to make sure I'm not overdosing.

Still here

2007-01-29T22:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm still here, just very busy. I've paid for one of those natural health newsletters, so I will let you in on anything really good after I investigate it, of course.

Babies, honey, botulism and vaccines

2006-04-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

About Infant Botulism
Infant botulism can occur when a child ingests Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which are found in dirt and dust and can contaminate honey.

These bacteria are typically harmless to older children and adults because their mature digestive systems can move the bacteria through the body before they cause any harm.

But very young babies haven't developed the ability to handle the bacteria yet. So once an infant ingests them, the bacteria can produce a toxin. That toxin interferes with the normal interaction between the muscles and nerves and can hamper an infant's ability to move, eat, and breathe.

I don't understand how babies do not have mature enough digestive systems to handle botulism and yet they are supposed to easily handle all those vaccines they pump into them before they are a year old.

Cellphone radiation and your health

2006-02-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

No, I haven't died, in case you were wondering. Here is some important info about cellphones from Dr. Sears, who has a very good website with lots of free information.

The 10 Highest Radiation Cell Phones
*Maker/Model*	*SAR level*
Motorola V120c	1.55
Motorola V265	1.55
Motorola V70	1.54
Motorola P8767	1.53
Motorola ST7868	1.53
Motorola ST7868W	1.53
Motorola A845	1.51
Panasonic Allure	1.51
Treo 650 GSM	1.51
Sony Ericsson P910	1.50
Source Wireless Watch/ CNet*⁹

The 10 Lowest Radiation Cell Phones
*Maker/Model*	*SAR level*
Audiovox PPC66001	0.12
Motorola MPx200	0.2
Motorola Timeport L7089	0.22
Qualcomm pdQ-1900	0.2634
T-Mobile Sidekick	0.276
Samsung SGH-S100	0.296
Samsung SGH-S105	0.296
Sony Ericsson Z600	0.31
Mitsubishi G360	0.32
Siemens S40	0.33
Source Wireless Watch/ CNet*¹⁰

You can find out the SAR of your phone on the FCC database. Go to www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid. The legal maximum for cell phone radiation is 1.6 W/kg. The next time you upgrade your phone, purchase one with a low SAR rating.

Make brief calls. Keep your calls short. And use your phone only when necessary. Use a conventional phone when possible. The less time you expose your head to microwave radiation, the better.

Use a speakerphone. Keep the handset part of the phone as far away from your body as possible. Although "Hands Free" equipment seems like a step in the right direction, evidence of safety is not yet available. Studies reveal some earpieces transmit the radiation along the wire into your ear. If you use a "Hands Free" phone, those marked filtered appear safest. For the very lowest exposure, use a wireless speakerphone with the microphone, earpiece and antenna all far away from your body.

Try a cell phone shield. You can buy a cell phone shield. The marketing claims are exaggerated but they probably do reduce the amount of radiation that enters your head.

Don't carry the phone close to your body. Carrying a phone in your pants or shirt pocket is not ideal. There are vital body parts in your chest and abdomen. These organs absorb radiation more efficiently than your head. Your phone emits low-level radiation in standby - even when you aren't using it. If you use a briefcase, you may want to do what I have done and start carrying your phone inside your briefcase.

Melanoma or not.

2005-10-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

Interesting comments recently on skin cancer detection.

That also is the view of Dr. A. Bernard Ackerman, emeritus director of the Ackerman Academy of Dermatopathology in New York. Dermatologists have gone too far, he said, with screening clinics, removing innocuous moles and diagnosing melanoma too freely.

It makes sense for a doctor to look at your skin during a regular physical exam, Dr. Ackerman said, but screening programs have led to an excessive zeal for skin biopsies and for diagnosing melanoma.

"There has been a mania for taking off these moles that are of no consequence," Dr. Ackerman said. "We're talking about billions and billions of dollars being spent, based on hype."

I remember about 10 or 15 years ago I had a large irregularly shaped mole between my big toe and the next toe. I suppose if I had made regular visits to a doctor, it would have been deemed precancerous and cut out with the accompanying expense and stress and increased life insurance premiums.

Sometime later I noticed it was gone.

Cranberry juice against gastrointestinal viruses

2005-09-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

This is good news. Since I moved to Oregon, I got an intestinal bug twice. The first time really bad; the second time bad. I think maybe I'm not used to the West Coast viruses or something, because I hadn't gotten that sick for years.

They found that cranberry juice prevented the SA-11 virus from attaching to red blood cells or infecting host cells, and when they looked at the SA-11 cell cultures under high-magnification microscopes, there were no viral particles in those treated with juice, and says Cohen, the effect was immediate.

This is very useful information. I have to remember this the next time if I feel a bug coming on.

Cinnamon and Vitamin C

2005-09-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

The pharmaceutical companies (drug dealers) have to be a little concerned about a couple of reports that came out recently.

Cinnamon has been proven without a doubt to lower blood sugar. Just a small amount is needed. You could even grow a cinnamon plant in your house.

And Vitamin C has been proven to kill cancer in laboratory tests. Forbes has a more detailed report.

Let's see how they spin these results to devalue the research. How would they ever make any money with Vitamin C and cinnamon?

Soy candles yes, soy milk no

2005-09-09T22:52:00.000-07:00

Well I've talked about how healthful soy candles are, but soy as a food is not good. It's amazing how much soy milk there is now in the grocery stores. I drank it myself for awhile until I found out how we've been hoodwinked by big agri-business. I remember picking up a book about the wonders of soy at a bookstore. The book was really cheap like $2 or $3; now I know why.

Dr. Mercola can explain it better than I. Here is more info. And Weston A. Price Foundation has lots about soy here.

Scientist trading cards

2005-09-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

This is a good idea, trading cards portraying scientists. I think there is too much emphasis on entertainment celebrities in our society. Sage Crossroads has trading cards you can email to people, complete with popularity contests.

Drink your coffee, in moderation of course.

2005-09-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

Coffee is America's highest source of antioxidants according to this

"Americans get more of their antioxidants from coffee than any other dietary source. Nothing else comes close," says study leader Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a chemistry professor at the university. Although fruits and vegetables are generally promoted as good sources of antioxidants, the new finding is surprising because it represents the first time that coffee has been shown to be the primary source from which most Americans get their antioxidants, Vinson says. Both caffeinated and decaf versions appear to provide similar antioxidant levels, he adds.

So I have a healthful addiction. I'm an addict. There I said it. I'm totally addicted to caffeine, and I've given up trying to get off it. My favorite way of shooting up is black coffee with occasional shots of cafe laite or green tea. I used to take a week or so off and suffer the withdrawal symptoms (headache, achy legs, fuzzy thinking, sleepiness). It would feel like my IQ dropped 10 points. Now I just enjoy the addict life.

There is one rule. I don't shoot up after 2pm, or I won't sleep that night. And my body naturally limits my intake. If I drink too much (more than 3 or 4 cups), the coffee starts tasting like mud.

Some people say caffeine is really bad, mostly the natural food people. But there is evidence that coffee drinkers are less likely to get Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, gallbladder stones and even liver cancer.

I just live in fear of a Mormon and Seventh Day Adventist coalition criminalizing the use of coffee and tea and throwing me into a life of crime to feed my addiction. It wouldn't be the first time a religious belief was made law. Do you know how many of them are in positions of power?

Are biopsies spreading cancer?

2005-08-28T22:50:00.000-07:00

As with mammograms, there is evidence that needle biopsies also spread the cancer. It makes sense to me. Reminds you of the 19th century doctors who refused to wash their hands between patients.

Healthful soy candles and cancer

2005-08-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well, after Peter Jenning's death and Dana Reeve's announcement that she has lung cancer, I haven't heard anyone in the press talk about the dangers of paraffin candles. It will take awhile to get this info out to the mainstream. Women especially love candles and many love to take baths in candlelight. This is especially dangerous with all that smoke in such an enclosed, small room.

Soy candles are so much more healthy than petroleum based candles. It's more than a little ironic that cancer information sites are selling candles to support their activities. Even churches are realizing that the candles they burn are unhealthful.

Never had a mammogram and never will

2005-08-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

Where I last worked one day one of my co-workers came into the office and said, "Have you gotten your mammogram ladies? Don't forget once a year you must get a mammogram." I kept quiet, because I figured she would think I was weird if I told her I've never had a mammogram and never intend to, and it's best not to get into philosophical differences at work.

The general public has been propagandized into thinking that mammograms will save them from breast cancer, when probably the opposite is true. I always had a gut feeling that there was something wrong about mammograms, and now I'm discovering that I was right. Here's what Dr. Kim has to say about mammograms.

I also think that dry cleaning probably contributes to breast cancer. A lot of rich career women get breast cancer, and you know they get all those silk blouses and smart woolen suits dry cleaned.

Then there is the bra link to cancer described in this book. This sounds quite plausible to me, because I have worn quite a few tight bras, and they could very well constrict the flow through the lymph glands right under the skin. This is one benefit of not having a job; I don't have to wear a bra all day.

More prohibition means health, not

2005-08-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

Right on
New York Times. Have you too noticed the ramp up of news about amphetamines? How we have an epidemic of druggies again? Remember crack? Our law enforcement guys love it of course. They really get a kick out of knocking down doors, using all that swat team gear. And the public just takes it all in like a kid with a new video game.

In the 30's Americans were still smart enough to realize when a mistake had been made. They repealed prohibition, called off the super cops and gave responsibility for alcohol use back to the individual.

By the way, this is spoken by a person who grew up in the 60's and never took drugs, hardly any prescription drugs either (none in the last 30 years). My drug of choice is aspirin once or twice a month. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peter Jennings died of lung cancer

2005-08-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

As everyone knows Peter Jennings died of lung cancer yesterday. They say he smoked since he was 13 years old, so smoking is the designated cause of his lung cancer. I suppose this is true. However, I have known people that smoked and lived to be in their 70's and 80's. Two of the longest lived women, Hava Rexha and Jeanne Calment, were lifelong smokers.

Conversely, I know of several people who never smoked and did not live with smokers but died of lung cancer. So this is not so cut and dried as the powers that be want to make it out to be.

Clearly there are other causes. Maybe candles?

I have just learned that common paraffin wax candles are known to produce soot and other inhaleable toxins such as formaldehyde, acrolein, benzine and acetaldehyde. These toxins have been known to clog and damage the lungs, and can sometimes even lead to emphysema-not unlike the effects of nicotine smoke. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), some of the chemicals found in paraffin candles are not only toxic, but are carcinogenic and neurotoxic as well, and could cause issues with not only the lungs but also the heart, circulatory system and nervous system.

I was glad to find out that there is a healthy candle made from soy wax, a mixture of hydrogenated soybean oil. This means that they burn clean into the air and recent research has shown that the use of soy candles in the home increases the surrounding air quality by a staggering 90% as compared with traditionally produced paraffin or petrochemical based candles. They are also water soluble (easy to clean up), burn cooler and up to 50% longer.

Free online book about Alzheimers

2005-08-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

This book is a very in-depth look at Alzheimers disease including the genetic component and concrete ideas for preventing it.

A second cousin of mine had her mother and most of her aunts and uncles succumb to Alzheimers. My mother at 91 is still pretty sharp, and I'm related to this cousin on my mother's side of the family, so hopefully I don't have the Alzheimers genes, but you can still get it even if you are not genetically pre-disposed.

Free health ebooks

2005-08-03T22:54:00.000-07:00

This site has a lot of free ebooks including several about staying healthy by natural means.

Nanny doctors?

2005-07-30T22:37:00.000-07:00

Quarter of Women Not Getting Health Care They Need
By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- Costs are getting in the way of women's health care, with about a quarter of American women not getting the care they need, a new national report finds.

......
Only 33 percent of women said they had talked to a health-care professional in the past three years about smoking, 20 percent about alcohol use, 43 percent about calcium intake and 55 percent about diet, exercise and nutrition.

Now here is a mystery. Why do women need to talk to their doctors about smoking, alcohol use, calcium intake or diet? Unless they are mentally deficient, they know what they have to or should do for their health. And there is plenty of advice out there a lot cheaper than a medical doctor's and most often more knowledgeable.

Why so many people have allergies?

2005-07-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

I don't have allergies, but this is an interesting book.

It's about how so many people are bothered by pollen, because landscapers only plant males to avoid the mess of fruit. I suppose it is unnatural to have only male plants in so many places. I know the Gingko Baloba tree is male and female, and they only want to plant males in the city, because the females make a mess with the fruit.

Exercise epiphany

2005-07-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

My left arm had been hurting for some time. I've been helping a lot with my 2 grandchildren aged 9 months and 2 1/2 years now. Always holding them with my left arm, while I use my right to do things. And then it occurred to me that I was using my arm muscle in one way all the time. I pushed the opposite way and felt immediate relief. Wow!

Now my arm is okay. Sometimes I forget to do the opposite exercise, and it starts hurting a little.

Then I started thinking about my legs. I'm always climbing stairs in this 3-story house we live in. And my legs are pretty strong (carrying 190 lbs.), but they never seem to get really strong so that I don't tire out before running up 2 flights of stairs. And it occurred to me I'm not doing the opposite exercise for my legs either. So I've started doing opposites with an elastic cord and doing leg lifts too like for karate. It seems like my legs feel better too, but it might be all in my head.